Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the questions we hear most often from property owners in Raleigh, Durham, and across North Carolina who are considering selling to Cardinal Home Buyers. If your question is still not answered here contact us anytime, or call or text Chad directly at 919-609-5173 – every inquiry gets a response within 24 hours.

The Basics

Q:  What exactly does Cardinal Home Buyers do?
A:  We purchase properties directly from owners in North Carolina — no agents, no MLS listings, no repairs required. We pay cash, cover all closing costs, and close on a timeline that works for your situation. Our focus is single family residential homes, small multifamily properties, commercial office space, and residentially zoned vacant land. We operate throughout North Carolina with our core focus on Wake County and Durham County.

Q:  Who am I actually dealing with when I contact Cardinal Home Buyers?
A: You are dealing with Chad Gray, the founder and owner. Chad is a Raleigh native, a graduate of NC State University, and has been investing in Triangle area real estate since before Cardinal Home Buyers was formally founded in 2021. Every inquiry, every offer, every property visit, and every closing involves Chad directly. You will not be handed off to a call center, a virtual assistant, or a junior acquisitions person at any point in the process.

Q:  Are you a legitimate buyer or are you going to tie up my property and not close?
A: This is one of the first things most sellers want to know, and it is a completely fair question. The Raleigh and Durham markets have attracted a significant number of people operating as cash buyers who have no genuine ability to perform. We understand why sellers are skeptical. Here is what we can tell you: Cardinal Home Buyers has been operating in the Triangle since 2021, is A+ accredited with the Better Business Bureau, carries a 5.0 Google rating, and is a member of both the NC Real Estate Investors Association and the Triangle Real Estate Investors Association. We are happy to provide proof of funds before you sign anything, and we can refer you to our preferred closing attorney Gene Davis at Gene Davis Law PLLC who can confirm our track record. We do not sign purchase agreements on properties we are not fully confident we can close.

Q:  What types of properties do you buy?
A:  Single family homes in any condition, small multifamily properties, commercial office spaces in the 900 to 4,500 square foot range, and residentially zoned vacant land with development potential. We buy throughout all of North Carolina with our primary focus on Raleigh, Durham, and the greater Wake and Durham County markets. We have also purchased in Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington, Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Fayetteville.

Q:  What condition does my property need to be in?
A: Any condition. We have purchased properties that have sat vacant for years, homes with significant structural issues, properties left full of furniture and debris, homes with active tenants, and properties with environmental issues including mold, fire damage, and water damage. There is no condition threshold you need to meet before reaching out.

The Offer and Pricing

Q:  How do you come up with your offer price?
A:  We start by determining what we are going to do with the property after we buy it — renovate and resell, hold as a rental, or pursue development on the land. Once we know the exit strategy, we work backwards from the expected end value, deducting renovation costs, holding costs including property taxes, insurance and utilities during the renovation period, selling costs on the back end including commissions and closing fees, and the margin that makes the transaction viable for us as a business. What remains after all of that is the most we can realistically offer. We are happy to walk you through that math on the phone if it would help you understand where we land and why.

Q:  Is your offer going to be a lowball?
A: The honest answer is that our offer will sometimes be below what you could get on the open market and sometimes it will not. It depends entirely on the property and the situation. What we can tell you is that our offer is not arbitrary — it is the result of a specific underwriting process tied to real costs and a realistic exit strategy. We will not offer you a number we cannot defend, and we will not try to squeeze every dollar out of your situation. What we offer in exchange for the price difference is speed, certainty, no repairs, no agent fees, no showings, and the ability to close complicated situations that traditional buyers will not touch. We will be straight with you about whether the numbers work and why.

Q:  Will you ever offer at or above market value?
A: Yes, in many situations. If a property has strong rental income, significant development potential, or other characteristics that make it particularly valuable to us relative to its current market price, we can sometimes offer at or even above what it would sell for on the MLS. Every property is underwritten individually. We will tell you honestly where your property falls.

Q:  How does your offer compare to what I would get listing with an agent?
A: Sellers often come to us with a number in mind based on what they believe the property would sell for on the MLS. Sometimes that number is accurate. Often it reflects conditions from two or three years ago that no longer exist in the current market. What we can tell you is that after accounting for agent commissions typically running five to six percent, closing costs, repair requests from buyers, and carrying costs while the property sits on market, the net difference between a cash offer and an MLS sale is frequently smaller than it appears. We will give you our honest read on that comparison for your specific property — not to talk you into anything, but because an informed seller makes a better decision and has a better experience regardless of which route they choose.

Q:  Can I get an offer without committing to anything?
A: Yes. There is no cost and no obligation to receive an offer from us. The entire process through the offer stage — the initial call, the property visit, the written offer — costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. You are under no pressure to accept. If you decide the offer does not work for you, that is a completely fine outcome and we will not push back on it.

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The Process and Timeline

Q:  How quickly can you close?
A: Our average close time is approximately fifteen days from signed agreement to closing day. Our fastest close has been five days. The primary factor that determines speed on our end is how quickly we can get into the property for our in-person assessment — after that, we typically have a written offer within 24 to 48 hours and can move to closing as fast as the title work allows.

Q:  Can you be flexible on the closing date if I need more time?
A: Yes. If you need sixty to ninety days — or even longer in certain circumstances — to make arrangements, move furniture, or handle logistics, we can structure the timeline accordingly. We move at the pace that makes sense for your situation. The closing date is something we work out together, not something we impose.

Q:  How long after closing do I have to be out of the property?
A: Standard practice is that you vacate by closing day since the property transfers to us at that point. That said, in select circumstances we can work out a short post-closing occupancy arrangement of a few days if you need a small buffer. This is something to raise early in the conversation so we can factor it into the agreement from the start.

Q:  When do I actually get paid?
A: On closing day. If you choose to receive a check you have it in hand at the closing table the same day. If you prefer a wire transfer it typically arrives within 24 hours of closing. There is no waiting period, no delayed funding, no holdbacks. You close, you get paid.

Q:  Walk me through the process from first contact to closing.
A: It starts with a phone call or an inquiry through our website. We learn about the property — location, condition, your situation, and what you are hoping to get out of the transaction. In most cases we can give you a realistic ballpark range on that first call. From there we schedule a time to see the property in person — Chad handles this personally. Within 24 to 48 hours of the visit we provide our final firm written offer. If you accept, we open title with our closing attorney and initiate the closing process. At closing you receive your funds and we take possession of the property.

Learn The Pros and Cons Of Dealing Your House To A Local Professional Home Buyer – Your FREE Guide: 

Download our FREE Guide here and contact us anytime with questions or if you would like a no-hassle Situation Evaluation. Learn more about how we help Raleigh homeowners sell their unwanted properties for cash.

Get your FREE Guide and then give us a call at (919) 609-5173. We would love to discuss what your home is worth and what we can offer to buy it with our Cash Offer Program.

Liens, Probate, Inherited Properties, and Complicated Titles

Q:  My property has liens on it. Can you still buy it?
A: Yes. We purchase properties with liens regularly — IRS liens, county tax liens, mechanics liens, HOA liens, and combinations of all of the above. In every case we work with our network of attorneys to negotiate reduced payoff agreements with lienholders so that the debts can be cleared and the property can legally transfer. You do not need to resolve the liens yourself before contacting us or before signing a purchase agreement. We can help you work through it.

Q:  Do I need to have everything resolved before we sign a purchase agreement?
A: No — and this is one of the most important things we want sellers to understand. Whether it is a lien, a probate situation, a clouded title, or any other legal complication, you do not need to have it resolved before we can put something in writing. We sign the agreement first, and then we spend however many months are necessary working through the complications together so that the property can eventually close. Some of our most complex transactions have taken six to eight months from signed agreement to closing. The agreement gives us both a framework to work within while we get everything sorted. Do not assume your situation is too complicated to start the conversation.

Q:  I inherited a property. I am not sure about the title situation. Can you still buy it?
A: Yes, and inherited properties with complicated titles are something we have extensive experience with in both Raleigh and Durham. Many inherited properties in North Carolina have passed through multiple generations without formal estate planning, resulting in unclear chains of ownership, missing heirs, or properties that have never been formally transferred. We have closed transactions involving as many as 22 legal heirs across multiple family branches with no will in place. That process required real estate and estate attorneys, months of coordination, and a significant amount of patience from everyone involved — but it closed. If you have inherited a property and are not sure where to start, call us.

Q:  The property is in probate. Does that disqualify it from being sold?
A: No. We purchase properties in probate. The timeline is longer and the process requires an estate attorney to navigate the court requirements, but a property in probate is not an unsellable property. We have a network of estate and real estate attorneys throughout Raleigh and Durham who handle probate sales regularly and can assist from the initial filing through to closing.

Q:  There is an old mortgage on the property that was paid off years ago but it still shows on the title. What happens?
A: This is a title issue we have encountered in Durham specifically more than once. When mortgage companies are bought, sold, or dissolved, paid-off mortgages sometimes remain recorded as active deeds of trust because the payoff was never formally filed with the county. The resolution requires an attorney to contact whoever holds the instrument on paper, request a formal payoff acknowledgment, and if no response is received within thirty days, file a petition with a county judge to have the deed of trust removed from the record. It is resolvable — it just requires knowing it exists and knowing the process. We have handled it before and can navigate it again.

Q:  The property has back taxes owed to the county. Can you still purchase it?
A: Yes. Delinquent property taxes are one of the most common complications we encounter, particularly in Durham County where aggressive reassessments and rate increases have caused tax burdens to rise sharply for many owners. We factor outstanding taxes into our offer and work with our attorneys to ensure they are addressed at closing. You do not need to pay them yourself before we can proceed.

Working With Cardinal Home Buyers

Q:  How do I know you are not just going to tie up my property, conduct showings without my knowledge, and then cancel?
A: These are tactics used by contract assigners and wholesalers who have no genuine ability or intention to close. They sign purchase agreements with hidden assignment clauses that allow them to market your property to other buyers, conduct showings you may not know about, and cancel if they cannot find an end buyer. We are not that. We are a direct buyer using our own capital. We do not assign contracts. We do not conduct showings of properties we are under contract on without the seller’s explicit knowledge and consent. And we carry a contract cancellation rate that reflects our commitment — we do not agree to buy properties we do not intend to close on.

Q:  What are you going to do with my property after you buy it?
A: It depends on the property. We may renovate it and resell it for a family to purchase and enjoy. We may hold it as a long-term rental. If it is vacant land or a property with significant land value, we may explore new construction or other development. We are straightforward about this when sellers ask — we are investors, and what we do with the property after closing is determined by what makes the most financial sense given the asset. We will tell you our likely plan if you want to know.

Q:  How did you find my property and why did you reach out?
A: We use a variety of methods to identify properties that may be a fit for what we do — public records, driving neighborhoods, referrals, and various data sources that flag properties with characteristics we commonly purchase. If you received outreach from us it is because something about your property’s situation — ownership history, condition, tax status, or other publicly available information — suggested you might benefit from knowing your options. There is no obligation to respond, and if you are not interested we respect that completely.

Q:  What areas do you serve?
A: We purchase properties throughout all of North Carolina. Our primary focus and highest volume of activity is in Wake County and Durham County — Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Wendell, Morrisville, and surrounding communities. We also actively purchase in Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, and all major markets statewide.

Still Have Questions?

Call or text Chad directly at 919-609-5173. You can also email chadg@cardinalhomebuyers.net or submit your property information through our website here. We respond to every inquiry within 24 hours – usually sooner.

Cardinal Home Buyers | 804 Salem Woods Dr., Ste 203, Raleigh, NC 27615 | BBB A+ Accredited